AI Gives English Majors Unexpected Leverage in Job Market

Humanities skills like communication, critical thinking, and creativity are in demand as AI disrupts other fields

Published on Feb. 22, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

As AI advances, English majors are seeing a resurgence in interest and job prospects, with universities reporting growing enrollment in English and creative writing programs. Experts say the 'soft skills' of humanities majors, like communication and critical thinking, are becoming more valuable in an AI-driven world, even as the technology threatens to disrupt other fields like computer science. While the overall job market remains challenging, some companies are actively seeking out liberal arts graduates to complement their AI capabilities.

Why it matters

For years, English majors were derided as 'useless' degrees, but the rise of AI is flipping the script. As AI becomes more advanced, the unique human skills of humanities graduates - creativity, empathy, communication - are becoming increasingly valuable to employers. This trend could help revive interest in liberal arts programs that have seen declining enrollment in recent decades, and provide new career opportunities for English and other humanities majors.

The details

Universities across the country are reporting a rebound in English and creative writing programs, as students seek to pair technical skills with the 'why' that humanities disciplines provide. At the University of Colorado Boulder, a new interdisciplinary data science course co-taught by a mathematician and a Renaissance scholar is drawing strong interest. And at Rice University, English class enrollment has grown steadily, with professors using AI-generated essays as prompts for students to analyze. Experts say companies are increasingly looking for the soft skills that humanities graduates can offer, like strong communication and the ability to interpret complex information, to complement their AI capabilities.

  • Pre-pandemic, the number of English majors at the University of Colorado Boulder was declining, part of a broader national trend.
  • Since 2021, the number of English majors at CU Boulder has risen 9%.
  • Over the last 2-3 years, the creative writing and literature programs at Southwest Minnesota State University have been growing.

The players

John-Michael Rivera

The dean of arts and humanities at the University of Colorado Boulder, who has seen a rebound in student interest in liberal arts degrees like English.

Jessie Hennen

The director of the creative writing and literature programs at Southwest Minnesota State University, who has seen their program growing over the last two to three years.

Kathleen Canning

The dean of humanities and arts at Rice University, where enrollment in English classes has grown steadily and the number of faculty in Creative Writing has nearly doubled.

Daniela Amodei

The cofounder of Anthropic, an AI company, who studied literature in college and says 'the things that make us human will become much more important' in hiring.

Margo D.

A 2025 graduate with a double major in English and Earth and Climate Sciences, who noticed her peers using ChatGPT for assignments but felt her English professors valued her original voice and style.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“The students love it.”

— John-Michael Rivera, Dean of arts and humanities, University of Colorado Boulder (Business Insider)

“We really engage in the 'why.'”

— John-Michael Rivera, Dean of arts and humanities, University of Colorado Boulder (Business Insider)

“They've had jobs, they have experience, and they're just like, we are not letting AI take creative writing away from us.”

— Jessie Hennen, Director of creative writing and literature programs, Southwest Minnesota State University (Business Insider)

“Students are trying to ascertain how to develop and advance their own capacities while AI appears to do so much for them in these times.”

— Kathleen Canning, Dean of humanities and arts, Rice University (Business Insider)

“I actually think studying the humanities is going to be more important than ever.”

— Daniela Amodei (ABC News)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

As AI continues to advance, the unique skills of humanities majors like communication, critical thinking, and creativity are becoming increasingly valuable to employers. This trend could help revive interest in liberal arts programs and provide new career opportunities for English and other humanities graduates.